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The overall direction for road transport in today’s leaked draft of the European Commission strategy for low-emission mobility has been welcomed by Transport & Environment (T&E), though the sustainable transport group has urged stronger action on greenhouse gases from international aviation and shipping.

Road freight CO2 emissions are the fastest growing segment of land transport emissions, both at EU and at global level. By 2030 heavy-duty vehicle emissions will account for almost 40% of road transport emissions. The European Commission is currently preparing a “decarbonisation of road transport strategy” in which it will outline its truck CO2 plans. To contribute to this debate T&E commissioned a market study surveying 180 SME hauliers in France, Germany, Poland, the UK and Spain.

We all know the numbers by now. By 2030 GHG emissions in the EU need to drop 40% compared to 1990. For the traded sectors that means a 43% cut, for the non-traded sectors it requires a 30% cut – both compared to 2005. That was what the EU heads of states agreed in 2014. The 2030 climate targets were agreed before the Paris climate deal.

It’s time to break the mantra that reducing the sector's climate impact will be costlyThe EU has agreed to reduce emissions from all sectors by 2030. If transport would do its fair share, it would need to reduce its emissions by 30% compared to 2005. However, certain policymakers and modellers think the transport sector should be given an easy ride.

Speech to Informal Council of EU Environment Ministers by Jos Dings, executive director, Transport & EnvironmentAmsterdam, 14 April 2016Thank you Madam President for the invitation and for organising this very timely and relevant event.I represent Transport & Environment, a Brussels-based environmental group specialising in sustainable transport, with 50 member organisations in 27 countries across this beautiful continent.

Thank you Madam President for the invitation and for organising this very timely and relevant event. I represent Transport & Environment, a Brussels-based environmental group specialising in sustainable transport, with 50 member organisations in 27 countries across this beautiful continent.

On 11 April, 2016, T&E's freight and climate director William Todts spoke at the hearing on a sustainable Flemish mobility policy within the framework of the EU 2030 objectives. His recommendations focus on the following elements: Cleaner Vehicles; cleaner Fuels; and better traffic management and smarter taxation. Download the recommendations in full below.

Early in summer 2016 the European Commission will present a proposal on the 2030 effort sharing decision (ESD) and a communication listing the key initiatives the EU will take to reduce road transport GHG emissions through EU measures. EU Transport and Environment Ministers are meeting in Amsterdam on 14 and 15 April to discuss smart and green transport and provide input for the Commission’s plans. This briefing summarises Transport & Environment’s key recommendations on surface transport for ministers ahead of this Informal Council meeting.

Trucks cost society €143 billion a year across the EU through damage to infrastructure and health as well as congestion, climate change and other effects. The impact of heavy-duty vehicles is assessed in a new independent study for T&E which also finds that only 30% of these costs are covered by fuel excise duties, vehicle taxes and infrastructure charges.

Belgium this week introduces a distanced-based truck toll as a new study reveals that trucks cost society €143 billion a year across the EU. The independent study for green transport group Transport & Environment (T&E) also found that trucks currently cover only 30% of these costs through taxation and charges. As the EU revises its road charging directive, T&E said Belgium’s road charging scheme is a fair way to ensure that trucks pay for a bigger share of the damage they cause.